During a medical procedure, an electrosurgical instrument may be used to cut, ablate, coagulate, or remove tissue. The electrosurgical instrument may comprise a distally located metal probe. The probe, or electrode, may be heated by an alternating electrical current operating in the radio frequency (RF) range. Alternatively, other types of electrodes or operating conditions may be used. The electrode may be operated at various conditions to ablate or coagulate tissue.
Many medical instruments include conductive components, such as metal cables or wires. Incorporating conductive parts into an electrosurgical instrument or an instrument that is paired with an electrosurgical instrument can increase the likelihood of a surgeon or patient getting shocked during the procedure. Electrical charge from the instrument's electrode may inadvertently arc to conductive parts of the instrument and travel to the surgeon's hands. In addition, saline, a fluid commonly used during surgery, can act as another conductive pathway. Unwanted electrical discharge may damage tissue of the patient located away from the surgical site. This damage may go undetected and complicate post-operative recovery.
Some current electrosurgical instruments are articulated to access sites within a patient's body that are difficult to reach using rigid non-articulating devices. For example, articulated RF ablation catheters provide steerable access to internal surfaces of the heart's chambers, often through tortuous vascular structures. Articulated medical devices have traditionally been flexible to provide easy manipulation. However, these devices often need various conductive or metal components to provide articulation. And as described above, conductive components provide pathways for unwanted electrical shocks.
The devices and systems for an electrosurgical instrument described herein overcome these and other limitations of the prior art. The devices and systems of the present disclosure are broadly applicable to various medical devices and other devices requiring articulation.